12/20/2025
Officials with the Clemson University Dept. of Plant Industry (DPI) found a nest of the invasive yellow-legged hornet in York County earlier this month, marking the first detection of the species in SC outside the Lowcountry.
"Yellow-legged hornets are a principal pest of honey bees, having caused increased colony losses in western Europe since their detection in 2004. Their establishment and spread in the U.S. is alarming for beekeepers, who are already reeling from a year in which the nation’s colony loss rate was greater than 60 percent," according to DPI.
Officials were alerted to the nest after a York Co. beekeeper noticed unusually aggressive hornet behavior known as “hawking,” during which hornets hover near hives to capture bees. The beekeeper reported the activity to DPI, and inspectors used trapping and tracking methods to locate the nest.
Residents of York County are encourage to report suspicious hornet activity and allow inspectors to access their property, as DPI expects to be trapping and surveying the county for at least the next year.
Read more: https://news.clemson.edu/yellow-legged-hornet-nest-located-in-york-county-residents-urged-to-report-sightings/?fbclid=IwY2xjawOlPS1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeB-DjjTl-vim3q0N40_HoskEzinKG6Y3kY3WpIS7HsATmAkxCzKx3JNdnGg8_aem_ynngCMaZNjpDCDeKR0TEZA
Photo via Bugwood.org, courtesy of:
Hanna Royals, Museum Collections: Hymenoptera, USDA APHIS PPQ
Brennen Dyer, Exotic Hornet ID, USDA APHIS PPQ
